Saturday, March 4, 2017

We now continue this creative
journey using the Tarot in our artistic process, but let's have a quick recap
before we take off . Last time we explored The Magician, The High Priestess and
The Empress and of course we started off with The Fool (The artist himself).
With each one of these archetypes, there was a lesson to be learned and applied
in our creative process. Each one of them sees the world from a different
perspective enriching the ways in which we think about creativity and Art. The
Magician taught us to use our hands and master our craft. The High Priestess
showed us the power of intuition and
imagination. The Empress inspired us with beauty and love for what we create.
As a painter I shall be referring to things that relate directly to painting
but these lessons apply to any other art form as well. Now let's continue our journey.

As we encounter this powerful
father figure archetype, we are reminded of our capacity to be in full control
of our work and to think of our studio as our personal kingdom. A painting can
be a territory we are about to conquer, build and govern. The Emperor is both
pragmatic but ambitious and he teaches us to have a clear purpose and reach our
goals with discipline, clarity and determination. In order to succeed we will
need a plan, a winning strategy to expand our empire. This is the type of
language we might hear from someone like him and there is much to be learned
from it as an artist. For example: Our palette can be seen a the camp where we
train and prepare our soldiers (paints). Who are we fighting against? Idleness,
chaos and fear. Some of you may now be
thinking: "But I love chaos!". We may argue there is a difference
between "ordered chaos" and chaos without purpose and meaning. The
Emperor does not take part in either one as he is the capital representative of
civilization as opposed to the barbaric and undisciplined . Order is the principal
command and lesson here. Once in a while
we must clean our Empire (studio & also mind) and have Laws (a set of rules
and daily schedule) in order to be an effective ruler/creator. This will bring structure,
clarity and guide us further in our creative journey.

St. Nick before the consumerist festivities (2008) Oil on canvas 11: x 14".

While The Emperor is the supreme ruler and guiding principle of
practical matters in the material world, The Pope (Also known as the Hierophant)
is the supreme ruler and guiding principle of the spiritual world. He may be
dogmatic and even severe but he teaches us the importance of reverence and
ritual when making art. The Pope tells us that we should not obsess over the
material aspects of creation. There is much more to it than that. Art is
bursting with divine meaning and we should seriously consider the hidden gospel
in every work of art. It really doesn't
matter what you believe in or what religion you profess. The important thing to
remember here is to be clear about what you believe in, stand by it and express
it in art. He encourages us as artists to become missionaries and spread the
message with our art. But in order to know what your true message is, we must
first prepare our soul and purify our thoughts and actions. Having a moment of
prayer, meditation or silence before starting to work is advised. We can adopt
a personal ritual and make of our studio a holy space for it is where the "Great
Work" will be forged. We are to become a medium or bridge in which this higher
truth will be channeled through in order
to create that sacred piece of art. Above all, The Pope wishes us to devote
ourselves to our art with principles and faith.

And now we fall endlessly in love
with what we do. Along came The Lovers and as we now sneak behind a tree and
watch them kiss passionately and become one, we reflect on how arousing and
intoxicating Love and Art can be. The sweet scent of Ambrosia and beautiful sound
of wind chimes soothes our soul while we feel butterflies in our stomach and
our heart is aroused. This is the kind of exciting feeling and addictive sensation
The Lovers wish us to have when we make art. When we feel this way about art,
everything else disappears and it is just the artist and his work. Artistic
creation then becomes a true labor of love. Theyteach us to paint with pleasure,
passion and highly concentrated in becoming one with our art. Pour your whole
heart into it without any fears or inhibitions. When we are fully committed to
creation totally focused with zero distractions, the muses start whispering in
our ears the true meaning of Art. After learning to be in full command of the
material aspects of our work with The Emperor and in spiritual bliss and
contemplation with The Pope, The Lovers free us from all societal restrictions
and allow us to be children once again, playing and discovering the world for
the first time. To be in Love is to be connected to the Universe and in harmony
with creation. Be free and allow Love to become your creative compass.

About this Blog

In this Blog I explore and discuss from an artist's perpective, issues related to contemporary culture, from colonialism to consumerism and how these impact our environment and cultural identities. As an artist coming from Puerto Rico and now living in Houston, Texas, I'm inspired by Spanish Colonial Iconography, Art History, Religious Syncretisms, Comparative Mythology and Pop Culture. I also study the Tarot, Astrology and Alchemy with a special interest in archetypes. All of the issues put forward on this blog derive from these interests and are reflected in my art as well. With these articles I wish to share with the world my own insights into the hidden connections I see between our past and present narratives. The aim is to bring some light into questions artist Paul Gauguin wrote in 1897 on one of his paintings; Where Do we Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?